


Faulty Run

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, No Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-07-28
Updated: 2003-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-27 04:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12073830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Suppose that Justin's solo attempt at walking down Liberty Avenue at night didn't go so well as his daylight venture.





	Faulty Run

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

At the time it had seemed like a good idea. Justin had been all for Brian’s attempts to get him used to being in crowds. All of his daytime ventures down Liberty Avenue had been perfect successes. Maybe not perfect, but he had managed to get through it each and every time. Of course, knowing that Brian was waiting for him had certainly helped to inspire him. 

This time, however, it was very different. This time he was walking down Liberty Avenue alone at night. Something that he hadn’t done since that first night he had gone looking for Brian. 

There were many times that Justin had almost stopped and went back to the loft. There were just too many people and they were all too loud. Justin had to force himself to keep from screaming each time someone brushed up against him. The only person that he felt comfortable touching was Brian. Brian was safe. Justin knew that Brian wouldn’t hurt him. And while rationally he knew that the others wouldn’t either, he could not stop his body from tensing up whenever they got too close. 

So when Brian had suggested these trial runs to help him get over the panic attacks, Justin had agreed, albeit somewhat hesitantly. 

“I can do this,” Justin mumbled under his breath as he was set upon by a group of drunken men. 

After a few tense moments, the five or so people that made up the drunken hoard stumbled away, laughing amongst themselves. Once they were gone, Justin got his breathing under control and continued on. 

Half a block later, Justin felt a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. He could see Brian. The other man was standing roughly fifty yards away, his dark eyes scanning the crowd. Justin could tell the exact moment Brian saw him because his entire body relaxed in that moment and a smile lit his features. Justin returned the smile and sped up his pace. The sooner he got to Brian the sooner he could stop his limbs from shaking. 

Justin was about a hundred feet from Brian when he felt a hand latch onto his arm and pull him off course. 

His natural reaction was to scream, but Justin found his breath frozen in his throat. As fear gripped him, Justin found his limbs paralyzed by an unseen force. The fear was much more brutal than the hands that gripped him and slammed him against the wall. He was pressed face first against the unyielding bricks, hot breath blowing in his ear. 

“Let’s see how long it takes your boyfriend to get here,” the gravely voice hissed in his ear. 

All that Justin could manage was a frightened whimper. He knew that Brian would come, but wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Chances were, that when Brian came after him, he would be the one who ended up getting hurt. Justin didn’t want Brian to get hurt. Not because of him. 

Gathering his courage, Justin began to push against the hands holding him stationary. He wanted those hands off of him. It made him feel sick and he wanted to get away from them. 

“Squirm all you want, you’re not going anywhere,” the voice growled in his ear. 

“JUSTIN!” 

At the sound of Brian’s voice he nearly sagged in relief. However, before he could fully experience his relief, Justin was yanked away from the wall and presented to Brian as a human shield. In a show of defiance, Justin struggled against the other man’s hold, but was unable to break his grip. 

“Seems like I’ve finally got your attention, Kinney,” the voice sneered, sounding so much louder as it echoed in Justin’s ear. “I guess this proves you’re not as untouchable as you like to think you are.” 

“Just let the kid go. He’s not a part of this,” Brian ground out, inching his way infinitely closer. 

In response, Justin found himself pulled hard against the chest of the man behind him. “Not so fast, Kinney. Who says we don’t want to make the kid part of this? He looks like he could be some fun.” 

Eyes wide, Justin kept his focus on Brian’s face. He was searching for some clue as to what Brian had planned. If he had anything planned. Knowing Brian as he did, Justin was sure that the other man was taking in the situation and adapting as he went along. 

“Look, Rick, you know I’m the one you’re after. So let the kid go and I’ll stay behind so that we can work out our differences,” Brian volunteered, his eyes locking with Justin’s as he spoke. Silently letting him know that he wouldn’t let anything happen to him. 

“I’m thinking of keeping the kid,” Rick informed Brian, clutching at Justin just a little tighter. 

Brian clenched his jaw, barely in control of his anger. “That’s not an option and you know it, Rick.” 

“Well then I say we make it an option,” Rick taunted, running a hand up and down Justin’s torso in a very suggestive manner. 

Justin bit into his bottom lip until he tasted blood. His skin was crawling and Justin wanted nothing more than to break free of his own body and escape. By this time Brian was less than ten feet away, but to Justin it felt as though there were an impassable chasm separating them. 

“You know that you don’t want to do it this way,” Brian tried again, his face void of any emotion whatsoever. 

“Now what makes you think that, Kinney?” 

Taking a chance, Justin jabbed Rick in the stomach with his elbow, hoping that would cause the older man to release him. He succeeded somewhat. For a short instant, Rick released on of Justin’s arms. Just as he was attempting to break free and run towards Brian he was stopped dead. 

“That’s right, kid. Just stay right where you are or I’ll slit your pretty little throat,” Rick hissed, pressing the blade tight against Justin’s skin. 

If he so much as breathed deeply, Justin could feel the sharp edge of the knife digging into his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that if he willed hard enough, that he would find himself back at Brian’s loft watching a movie. Or, even better, in bed, feeling Brian pressed tight against him, filling him completely. 

“Just let him go, Rick. I’ll do whatever the fuck you want just let him go,” Brian pleaded, his voice filled with a panic that Justin knew only he was aware of. To anyone else, there was very little change in the tone of his voice, but Justin could sense the fear in it. 

“You mean like this?” 

Before Justin even had a chance to react, he was being shoved forward. He landed hard on his hands and knees, feeling rocks tear into the skin on his palms and his jeans. His weak right hand gave out under him and it was all that he could do to keep his face from crashing into the putrid pavement. 

Then suddenly there were arms about him, helping him up. Justin went willingly, knowing that those arms belonged to Brian. Even before he was back on his feet, Justin had turned himself in Brian’s arms so that he was able to press his face against the other man’s shirt. 

“It’s all right now, Justin, I’ve got you,” Brian murmured against the top of his head. 

Justin took a moment to steady himself before pushing himself away from Brian. He didn’t remove himself completely, but held himself up in a show of defiance to Rick. He managed to quell the shaking in his limbs so there was at least that.. 

“Justin, I want you to go back to the loft,” Brian said as he tugged on the other man’s arm in an attempt to pull him back. 

Even though a part of him had been expecting Brian to say something like that, it still caught him off guard. He whirled around, about to protest, but the look in Brian’s eyes stopped the words before they left his lips. In his new position, Justin’s head came between Brian and Rick’s. Allowing Brian to mouth a single word to Justin. 

Woody’s. 

Knowing that the others would be at the bar, Justin reluctantly began to part from Brian. Something bad was going to happen to Brian. He was sure of it. The man had held a knife to his throat, after all. Justin didn’t want to leave Brian alone in that alley with Rick. He knew that Brian was doing something completely and utterly selfless by telling him to go, but Justin just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t willingly leave Brian on his own knowing that something terrible would more than likely happen to him. 

“I’ll be fine,” Brian said as though he were reading his thoughts. “Now get back to the loft. I’ll be there when I’m finished here.” 

“Brian....” Justin protested, at a loss for what to say that would get Brian to go with him. 

The other man squeezed the nape of his neck then took a step past him towards Rick. “Get back to the loft, Justin. This is the last time I’m gonna say it.” 

With one final glance at Brian’s retreating back, Justin turned and stumbled out of the dark alley. His only goal now was to get to Woody’s and get the others. As much as he hated to admit it, he would need their help in order to help Brian. Even without his gimp hand he wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own. The fact that Rick had a knife was reason enough to be cautious. 

Back out on the crowded street, Justin forced himself to stay calm. he couldn’t freak out because he had to get to Woody’s and the guys. Justin kept his eyes focused straight ahead, hoping that if he didn’t pay attention to the groups of men that swarmed around him that he would be able to reach Woody’s before something bad happened to Brian. 

“Where’s the fire, kid?” 

“Hey there, no need to run away!” 

“Come back here, kid!” 

“We could have some fun together!” 

Shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket, Justin ignored the voices around him. He didn’t have the time to bother with the half dressed men even if he wanted to. Justin found himself wishing that the guys had been at Babylon since the club was a lot closer to where Brian and Rick were. 

That changed when he finally got to Woody’s. 

The bar may have been further than the club, but it was also a lot less packed. Scanning the crowd, Justin found the others almost immediately. 

“What are you doing here without your shadow, hun?” 

Justin jumped, a startled cry escaping at Emmett’s sudden appearance. 

“Easy there, it’s just me,” Emmett said, waving the others over. “Now do you want to tell me why you’re here all by your lonesome? Where’s Brian?” 

“What’s going on? Justin, are you all right?” Michael asked as he, Ted, Lindsay and Melanie rushed over. “Where’s Brian?” 

Justin started to answer, but the only sound he could make was a frightened squeak. Pursing his lips, Justin took a deep breath and tried again. “He’s in trouble. We have to go now.” 

As he emphasized the last word, everyone ran to get their coats and whatever other belongings they had with them. Watching for them, it was everything Justin could do not to panic. Every second that he spent in Woody’s was another second that Brian was alone with Rick. And Rick’s knife. 

“Justin, what’s going on?” Michael asked as the group filed out of Woody’s. “Why is Brian in trouble?” 

“Some guy named Rick grabbed me ‘cause he wanted to get Brian’s attention,” Justin explained as he led the way towards the alley where it had all started. “I don’t know why he’s after Brian, but the guy’s insane. He’s also got a knife and who knows what else!” 

“And you left him alone with Brian?!” Michael shouted, the anger discernible in his voice. “Are you insane?!” 

Lindsay smacked Michael upside the head. “If he wasn’t here we wouldn’t know what was going on or both Brian and Justin could be seriously hurt.” 

“Well Brian could still be hurt,” Michael pointed out. 

Justin whirled on the other man, his expression dark. “You think I don’t know that? That I left willingly? Fuck you, Mikey! I love Brian and you know it!” 

“Ladies, ladies, please. We have some more important things to do that argue,” Emmett declared as he stepped in between Justin and Michael. “So what’s say we let Justin take us to where Brian is? All agreed?” 

Both Justin and Michael gave mumbled responses, glaring at each other all the while. He couldn’t believe Michael’s nerve. There wasn’t anyone among them who didn’t know exactly how Justin felt about the older man. Unlike Brian, Justin hadn’t kept his feelings a secret. He was more than vocal about his emotions concerning the other man. 

“It’s just about-- HEY!” Justin cut off in mid sentence as he caught sight of Rick rushing out of the alley. “That’s him!” 

Leaving the others behind, Justin bolted towards the alley. Even at a block and a half’s distance, Justin could clearly make out the smears of blood on Rick’s clothes and hands. That turned Justin’s fears up a few notches. He had vivid images in his mind of Brian lying bleeding to death in the dark alley. 

“Brian!” Justin shouted as he rounded the corner. He stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to catch himself with his left hand. “Brian, answer me! Brian!” 

“.... Justin....” 

Justin nearly sobbed with relief when he heard Brian’s voice. Instead, he sprinted towards a dark mound in the center of the alley that was moving slightly. As he got closer he could make out Brian’s form more readily. The older man was sprawled on his side, clutching at his abdomen as he moaned and writhed in pain. 

“Brian!” Justin cried as he dropped down onto his knees beside Brian. With extreme care, he eased Brian’s head and shoulders up onto his lap, holding him tightly. The sight of the blood that stained the left side of Brian’s face enraged Justin. 

“Holy shit!” 

“Nice to know you care, Teddy,” Brian wheezed from his position in Justin’s arms. 

Michael knelt down in front of Brian, concern written clearly across his features. “Are you okay, Brian?” 

“Fucking fantastic,” Brian hissed, his body relaxing as Justin carefully ran his fingers over his arm and throat. “Now would someone please help me up? I’d like to go home and get to bed.” 

“I think we should take you to the hospital,” Melanie suggested. 

“Didn’t know you cared, Mel,” Brian grunted, his face screwing up in pain. 

“I don’t,” she assured him. “But for some reason Justin does.” 

Justin wanted to scream at the lack of concern the others were showing. Brian was hurt. While at the moment the only visual wound was the cut above his left eyebrow, Justin could tell by the tautness of his muscles that he was hurt elsewhere. Brian had yet to take an actual deep breath, only panting brokenly against Justin’s thigh. 

His beliefs were proven correct when Brian let out a pained cry as Justin and Michael helped him to his feet. He nearly doubled over, clutching tightly at Justin’s arm. Reach into Brian’s pocket with his free hand, Justin grabbed Brian’s keys and tossed them to Emmett, telling him to go get the Jeep. 

“No way is Em driving my Jeep,” Brian groaned, leaning against Brian for support. He was completely ignoring Michael, freeing his arm from the dark-haired man’s shoulders and wrapping it across Justin’s waist. “I’ll drive it myself.” 

Justin couldn’t help but laugh at that comment. “Sure you will, Brian. Besides, you know you like the backseat better.” 

As he had hoped, a ghost of a smile flickered across Brian’s face. It was masked almost entirely by pain, but to Justin it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Leading Brian away carefully, Justin was sure not the jostle the other man too much. Every cry of pain made his heart ache and he did his best to ensure that he avoided any obstacles in their path. 

The instant they stepped out of the alley and into the busy street, Emmett pulled up in the Jeep. Brian hadn’t parked very far away since their original meeting place had been only a few blocks away. 

“Mel, Ted and I will follow in our car and meet you at the hospital,” Lindsay volunteered as Justin helped Brian into the backseat of the Jeep. 

“You guys all go home,” Brian ordered, his voice stern despite the fact that he was willingly allowing Justin to dictate his movements. “Justin and I will be fine on our own. We don’t need an audience.” 

Michael began to protest, “But, Bri--” 

And was instantly cut off by the other man. “Go home, Mikey. Justin and I will manage ourselves.” 

Surprisingly, everyone turned to Justin who was quite flustered by the attention. “You heard, Brian. We can manage on our own.” 

In the end, they did all leave. It took a while for them to convince Michael to go, but Emmett and Ted were eventually able to drag him off after Justin promised to call him when they got back from the hospital. 

The instant Justin pulled away from the curb and started down Liberty Avenue, Brian let out a pained sob that the other man knew he had been holding in for quite some time. Keeping his left hand on the wheel, Justin reached back with his right, fumbling, and finally catching hold of one of Brian’s hands. The older man squeezed tightly, whimpering in pain. 

“You know you don’t have to keep up this unbreakable front for everyone,” Justin said, his eyes darting to the rearview mirror to catch a quick glimpse of Brian’s blood- and dirt-stained face. “You’re allowed to get hurt and break down once in a while.” 

Brian’s eyes locked on Justin’s in the mirror. “No, I’m not. I’m the strong one, remember? I’m the one who’s not allowed to react.” 

“Well when we get home I give you full permission to react however you see fit.” 

Getting home took another three hours during which time the pair spent a length time in the emergency room waiting for a doctor to see them. While they sat and waited, Brian leaned against the younger man, allowing himself to be soothed by Justin’s fingers combing through his hair. The tenderness between them garnered them more than a fair share of attention from the other people crowded in the emergency room. 

“So what happened to you?” the nurse asked when Brian was finally brought into one of the exam rooms. 

Justin went to answer, but Brian beat him to it. 

“We were goofing around on the fire escape and I fell off. It was the third floor so I took a descent sized fall.” 

“I’ll say,” the nurse agreed, turning around to get some supplies. 

With her attention diverted, Justin glared over at Brian. The look he received in return assured him that he would get his answer later. Justin would make sure of it. 

The final injury total was two cracked ribs, a deep laceration above his left eyebrow that required only butterfly strips to hold it closed-- which meant a less chance of scaring --a broken pinky finger on his left hand and the usual bumps and bruises. Thankfully it sounded a lot worse than it actually was. A brace would keep Brian’s ribs in place while they healed, his pinky was taped to the finger next to it and, except for some bruising, the cut on Brian’s forehead wasn’t too noticeable. 

“Now there’s a couple of rules you’re going to need to follow for the next little while,” the nurse said as she came back in with Brian’s pain prescription. “First of all, no alcohol while you’re on this prescription. Keep the brace on at all times-- except in the shower. You are also not allowed to do any strenuous activities. Any questions?” 

“Yeah, define ‘strenuous activities.’” Brian inquired immediately. 

It was all that Justin could do not to burst out laughing. 

After procuring Brian’s solemn oath that he would abstain from fucking for a minimum of two weeks, they finally left the hospital. Brian was still forced to lean on Justin somewhat for support, but neither man commented on it. Justin knew that if he mentioned it that Brian would pull away and probably end up hurting himself further. 

“I’m sitting in the front seat this time,” Brian announced as they made their way to the Jeep. 

Justin dug his hand into the pocket of his cargo pants in search of the keys. “Don’t you think you’ll be more comfortable in the back where you can stretch out?” 

“Comfort is not something that is going to happen in the back seat,” Brian informed him. 

Not wanting to argue with the other man, Justin silently led him to the passenger side of the Jeep. He was grateful that at least Brian wasn’t insisting on driving. It wouldn’t have surprised Justin in the least if he had. Brian was the type of man who didn’t like to show any weaknesses. He didn’t like to be dependent or vulnerable to anybody. Something that he was at that moment. The forced state of dependence would only make Brian that much more difficult. 

The ride back to the loft was made in almost complete silence. The drugs that the doctor had given Brian for the pain had started to take effect making the other man drowsy. Justin was glad the for reprieve. It would give him a chance to gather his thoughts. Almost belatedly, Justin realized that he had spent the last three hours surrounded by people that he didn’t know and he hadn’t reacted to it in the least. It hadn’t even crossed his mind. Justin was pretty sure that was because he was too busy worrying about Brian to even think about the people around them. 

By the time they reached the loft, Brian was out cold. His face had been washed clean by the nurse making the bruise that covered Brian’s face from just above his temple down to his cheekbone that much more vivid. 

Reaching over, Justin gently shook Brian’s shoulder. “We’re home,” he murmured when the older man’s eyes started to flutter open. 

Brian’s head flopped in Justin’s direction, staring at him under heavy lidded eyes. He said nothing, but his right hand fumbled for the door handle. By the time that he got it open, Justin was already on the other side of the Jeep, ready to help Brian step down onto the pavement. 

“You were supposed to get involved,” Brian mumbled as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He stayed sitting up long enough for Justin to help him out of the black sleeveless silk shirt he was wearing before carefully easing himself onto his back. 

Justin knelt down in front of Brian and began untying his shoes. “It’s not like you had any control over what happened. I’m sorry that I didn’t help you. I should have--” 

“No. No. No,” Brian told him, flailing a hand in Justin’s direction. Taking note of the other man’s silent command, Justin grabbed hold of Brian’s hand and brushed a kiss against the back of it. “It’s better you weren’t there. You only would have gotten hurt.” 

“Like you did?” 

Brian squeezed his hand again. “Used to it. No one should be allowed to hurt you. Ever.” 

At a loss for words, Justin brushed his lips across Brian’s palm in a tender kiss. “No one should be hurting you either, Brian. And it’s a good thing you don’t have an ass or I wouldn’t be able to get your pants off.” 

The shoes and socks came off with relative ease. Justin left them where they were then stood up and unfastened Brian’s jeans. As he had predicted, the jeans came off with only a quick tug. Knowing that Brian would be less than impressed if he left the clothes on the ground, Justin tossed them in the hamper along with his own clothes. 

“Tonight was supposed to end better.” 

Justin started at the sound of Brian’s voice. He had thought the older man was asleep. Shutting off the light in the bathroom, Justin headed back into the bedroom. To all intents and purposes, it looked as though Brian was asleep. His eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly. Every line in his body was completely relaxed, something that only happened when he was asleep. 

“You’re all right and that’s more than enough,” Justin told him as he carefully maneuvered Brian’s lower body onto the bed. “Now get some sleep and get ready to feel like shit in the morning.” 

Brian nodded his head and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath followed by, “Only if you promise to feel like shit with me.” 

“I’m sure you’ll make sure that I feel like shit with you,” Justin assured him as he crawled in on the other side of the bed and snuggled in next to Brian. 

“Love you,” Brian mumbled, on the brink of sleep. 

Justin pressed a kiss to the Brian’s shoulders, barely resisting the urge to hold the other man as close as possible. “I love you too, Brian. Now get some sleep.”


End file.
